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The Familiar Satellite Town of Pond – Part 01

There must be something behind these peculiar customers, Luini, Luluan Tea Time’s poster girl, mused.

Her curly, flaxen hair, a gift from her middle-aged yet still beautiful mother, was tied to her back, her thick bangs framing her face. She had large and bright eyes.

Luini, who had recently caught the eye of a young businessman, possessed a keen awareness of her own allure. She declined his advances, confident that even better suitors would come her way.

Just a street away from the royal capital’s main thoroughfare, this strip, known as Café Street—and dubbed Tea Street by the elderly—hosted an array of cafes. At the street’s end stood Luluan Tea Time, an unfrequented establishment sustained by its regular customers.

On this day, three individuals donning silver masks and one wearing a festival mask occupied a table at the back, hidden away from the street outside. After quickly ordering beverages, they began whispering among themselves.

They were clearly the same age as her, if not a little younger. Strange customers, to be sure. Definitely hiding something.

Pretending to wipe down a nearby table, Luini strained to catch their conversation. Unfortunately, there were no other customers besides them at this early morning hour. The unused table was sparkling clean at this point, but Luini continued polishing with a cloth anyway.

“The total amount of debt…”

“What about the name on the contract?”

“Law of the aristocracy…”

Luini, her hair swaying behind her, caught disturbing snippets of dialogue.

Do they work for a noble? Some scandal going on? I’m pretty sure it’s dangerous for commoners to meddle with that kind of stuff. This is getting exciting!

Luini appreciated their regular customers, but put it another way, she couldn’t help but crave a dose of excitement in her unchanging routine.

So, what’s actually happening?

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Four masked pairs of eyes were fixed on her, and before she knew it, a strong hand seized her collar.

“Excuse us, dear customers. I’ll take her over there, so please take your time.”

“Wait, dad! Ahh! I’m not a cat!”

Her father, the shopkeeper, carried her away like a cat.

“What was that about?” muttered the black-haired boy.

---

It was Lavia who suggested having a meeting at Café Street since she wanted to check it out.

To avoid the hassle of wearing the festival mask when meeting Isaac, Hikaru chose to go with his usual Silver Face getup. Lavia and Paula too wore their masks. Walking around town in this attire was embarrassing, but the issue was easily solved by Stealth.

Isaac, waiting in front of the café, was startled at the sight of the trio. Hikaru decided to give Isaac his festival mask instead.

And so a bizarre group of customers entered the café.

The girl at the café was understandably curious. When the shopkeeper carried her away, Hikaru and his companions resumed their conversation.

“So, Silver, are you really backing me up? I don’t know if I can perfect the theory.”

“Yeah, no problem. But this also means we’ll be on equal standing. Is that okay?”

“I don’t mind that at all.”

Unlike yesterday, Hikaru adopted a more casual attitude and speech. Isaac didn’t seem to mind.

“So… about your attire,” Isaac remarked, his gaze lingering on the shift from yesterday’s opulent style to the more pragmatic fashion today. He was understandably suspicious.

“Isn’t the kind of support I’m providing more important than my identity?” Hikaru said.

“Well… yeah. As long as you guys aren’t part of some illegal organization.”

“I promise you that is not the case,” Hikaru declared resolutely.

In truth, he had infiltrated various places using Stealth, even intruding into the Queen’s private chamber. However, he suspected Isaac’s concern was more about potential involvement in illicit activities for money.

Isaac appeared hesitant but relented. “Okay. I trust you.”

“Are you sure? I don’t like to say this about myself, but I’m not the type to reveal my real face.”

“I don’t think someone who understands the Four Elementals Fusion Theory and decides to fund it is a bad person.”

Hikaru found that reasoning oddly fitting.

“Besides, my family’s reputation couldn’t sink any lower. I don’t think anyone would try to deceive me at this point.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk about today. What happened?” Hikaru asked.

“I suppose I have to tell you. First, my mother passed away right after giving birth to me, and my father died suddenly two years ago,” Isaac began. “I ended up taking over the family. We weren’t really wealthy. My family only earned its nobility by holding a government position. But I couldn’t take up the job at my age, so my stepmother told me to wait.”

“Stepmother? Did your father have a second wife?”

“Yeah. She had bad spending habits, and it got worse after my father died. Before I knew it, she had borrowed money somewhere, and when that came to light, she disappeared with valuable items.”

“How old are you now? At what age can you take up a government position?”

“I’m 16. I can start working this year, but I can’t even repay the interest on the debt with my salary. So, I thought I’d try to do something with my research.”

“…”

While magnificent discoveries in magical research could generate immense profits, aiming for a turnaround with the Four Elementals Fusion Theory was nothing more than a gamble, even if it had succeeded once in the past.

Would a person studying sorcery take such an uncertain gamble? Though not entirely satisfied, completing the theory remained Hikaru’s priority, so he decided not to dwell on it.

“How much is the debt?”

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“I don’t know. My stepmother took away the copy of the loan agreement. The original is probably with the debt collectors, but they won’t show it to me.”

“That’s absurd.”

“Yeah… because of that, I’m completely stuck. So, I have to prepare a large sum of money and ask them to bring the original loan agreement for repayment…” Isaac trailed off, gripping the teacup with his slender hand.

He sipped cautiously; he seemed to have low tolerance for heat. Hikaru could have downed the tea in one gulp at its current temperature.

He looks to be in poor health, too. He’s broke, so I guess it makes sense.

Hikaru couldn’t help but sympathize with Isaac’s plight, entangled in a fate beyond his control. However, he didn’t feel uncomfortable. Isaac’s situation was much better than poverty resulting from one’s own doing.

“Isaac, what’s the name of the company you borrowed money from?”

“They called themselves Ballast Trading.”

“Ballast Trading… Never heard of it.”

Hikaru glanced at Lavia and Paula, who only shook their heads.

“Of course you haven’t. Their headquarters isn’t in the capital.”

“Your stepmother borrowed money from such a shady place?”

“Her credibility plummeted in the city. Ballast Trading operates in a satellite town near the capital.”

The term satellite town made Hikaru’s heart faintly tremble.

“It’s a town named Pond,” Isaac added. “Do you know it?”

It was the first town Hikaru arrived at after being summoned to this world.

---

“Just focus on your research for now,” Hikaru said, then asked Lavia and Paula to buy what Isaac needed.

I wonder if they have any qualms about protecting a boy.

Surprisingly, both Lavia and Paula readily agreed.

“Isaac, when you need to do some brainwork, it’s better to take in some sugar. The pound cake in this café seems popular, so you should have some.”

Hikaru gave their order to the staff, and the female employee from earlier brought pound cake and honey, apparently for the cake.

“This one’s on the house,” she said dejectedly.

Hikaru really didn’t mind what happened, but since it was there, he decided to have it.

Pouring plenty of honey on the pound cake with a rich nutty aroma, Isaac’s eyes sparkled.

He took a bite. “Hmm!” he exclaimed, shivering.

Satisfied, Hikaru got up. “Well then, I’m off. While I’m away, fatten up Isaac as much as you can.”

Isaac’s eyes rolled back. Choking on the cake, he tried to wash it down with tea.

“It’s a figure of speech. It means to make sure you eat properly.”

“Gotcha.” Lavia nodded with a grin.

“Um, where are you going, Silver?!”

“To repay the debt, we need to see the loan agreement. I’m heading to Pond to confirm how much it is and if the interest is fair.”

“I asked them before, and they wouldn’t show it to me.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m gonna check without bothering anyone—or better, without anyone knowing.” Hikaru grinned. “This is my kinda job.”